Brady Hoke enters his fourth season as Michigan's head coach with a 26-13 record. Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com

Brady Hoke's first season at Michigan was -- to date -- his best.

Taking over for fired coach Rich Rodriguez in 2011, Hoke was able to guide a veteran squad with a dynamic junior quarterback (Denard Robinson) to an 11-win season, a skid-snapping win over Ohio State and a Sugar Bowl victory.

Since then, however, Hoke's club has gone 15-11.

His 2014 team is the youngest group he's ever had, the complete opposite of that 2011 team -- which was easily the most veteran club he's coached during his time in Ann Arbor.

On Thursday, speaking with SiriusXM's Tim Brando, Hoke discussed the overall transition Michigan went through from the Rodriguez era and how it impacts the program now.

"Being a head coach at two other schools where you transitioned through, you count on a lot of things," Hoke explained. "When you go to Michigan, you try to count on the players and their culture and the education that they know about the great legacies and traditions that we have here. We inherited a tremendous young quarterback in Denard Robinson, who had a great career here.

"That first year, there were a lot of fifth and fourth-year guys who had some of that backdrop of knowing the tradition. Guys like David Molk, Mike Martin, Kevin Koger. They really did a nice job with their leadership and a terrific job of playing. Going out there, winning 11 games and winning the Sugar Bowl. As you transition from an offensive and defensive standpoint, your recruiting is what has to take effect."

In total, the 2011 team had 46 players in both the junior and senior class. Players who were brought in by Rodriguez to play in the spread-option and run a 3-3-5 defense. They adjusted early, but eventually moved on.

And now, the core of Hoke's group is built mostly on recruits he has brought to Michigan. There are only three scholarship players left on the roster (Devin Gardner, Will Hagerup, Jake Ryan) who signed letters of intent to play for Rodgriuez. This team has just 12 seniors. On this roster, 69 guys are either second or third-year players.

"(We had to recruit) the type of linemen, the type of backs, the type of quarterbacks that you want to have in the system, the type of wide receivers that you want to have," Hoke said. "We transitioned from a three-man front to a four-man front, and did the same thing defensively.

"The disappointment of not being a physical football team a year ago (hurt), we had two tackles who both will play at the next level, but the interior of the offensive line was young. We started a true freshman at guard. We struggled. We had some inconsistencies from a coaching standpoint, and that's my fault. And I need to do a better job. ... We've got 39 freshmen, 38 sophomores, 20 juniors and 12 seniors. But the good thing? They've played, the young guys have played."

In terms of how that youth is developing?

Hoke continued to explain how he believes Michigan's defense is firmly improved from what it was a year ago. But the offense?

During Michigan's final spring practice of the session, the offense looked rough. The line didn't open holes. Quarterbacks missed throws. There was really only one big play, a 45-yard strike to Freddy Canteen.

Hoke admits the final showing of the spring was not the finest hour for Doug Nussmeier's new unit, but insisted it was not indicative of the rest of spring practice.

"The Saturday before the spring game was really our big scrimmage," Hoke said. "The spring game was dialed down a little bit on both sides of the ball, schematically and all that.

"But (the Saturday before), we had 140 plays of kick-butt football. On both sides. It was really fun. The growth that the quarterbacks all have made has really been good. We took a step back in the spring game, to some degree, and I know coach Nussmeier is on top of that. But (I was) really pleased with the progress (throughout spring) that we made as a football program."